Dirigible kite.



N0. 892,009. PATENTED JUNE 30, 1908. E. RIEHL.

DIRIGIBLE KITE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT.17, 1907.

UNITED STATES, PATENT Omron.

FREDERICK RIEHL, OF ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA.

DIRIGIBLE KITE.

speciacation of Letters Patent.

' Iatented June 30, 1908.

Application led September 17, 1907. Serial No. 893,389.

y To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK RIEHL, a

` citizen of the United States, and a resident of Alameda,` in the` county of Alameda and Sftate of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in ible Kites, of whichthe followingis a spec cation.

, This invention has for its object to provide a kite for life-saving purposes, and which is especially adapted by its construction to carry a line from a vessel to the shore, or to support andy carry a person from a wreck to the shore through breakers, or a heavy surf, with safety.

The novel features of the invention comprise a construction of separable frame and a removable covering or body, lcapable of being folded or'brought toa compact form to octhe kite inl its ight with reference to the di rection of the'wind, whereby it can be` caused to take a direction at varying angles to the Aularl member of the frame.

wind, and tobe directed in its iiig t towards different points of the compass within a limited arc either to the right or to the left of the point to which the wind may be blowing.

The construction of my improved dirigible Akite and the manner in which the same is used and operated, is explained at length in the following description, inwhich the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification are referred to by figures and letters. i

Figure 1 of the` drawing represents in elevation a dirigible kite yof m invention, the same being a view from be ind. Fi 2 is a side view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detai on an yenlarged scale, of a portion of ithe frame and covering at 'one end of the cross-arm. Fig. 4 is a-transverse section, showing in detail the construction of the back-bone orperpendic- Fig 5 illustrates the kite taken apart and folded for car ing .0r stowin away. Fi 6 is a diagram, i lustrative 0F the dirigibIe feature of the kite.4 Fig. 7 illustrates the manner of operating the kiteto carry a person from avessel to the shore in case of a shipwreck. Fig. 8 is an elevation of a portion of the kite frame showing the connection between the back-bone and the horizontal member, the latter being shown in section. f

The 'required qualities of lightness and strength in the structureel? a kite for the urposes of my invention are secured in a igh degree by the construction of the two members of the frame, each of which is composed v'of a relativel thin and narrow bar or slat 2 of wood, andy a rib 3 of about the same dimensions in breadth and thickness as the bar 2, but of less length. These two parts are secured togetherI by cords 4 whi ped y or wound tightly around the bar and t erib in al number of turns at both ends of the rib, and at intervals apart in its length. This construction is peculiar in the feature of dispensing With nails, screws, pins or other metal fastenings of `any character, the result of which-is that-the strength of the bar or the rib is not weakened at any point, as they would be if metal fastenin gs were inserted or fixed in them; and the welght of the parts is kept withinY the limits of extreme lightness by dispensing with such fastenings.'

' The cross-arm B rests on and is supported by a block 5 lashed on the front side of the back-bone A, and it is kept in place on the block by the cord Dl that forms the bellyband of the kite, the latter being secured to the back-bone for that purpose at a point 7 so that it lies under the cross-arm. The effect of this arrangementis ,to keep the crossarm always in position on they block, without requiring anadditional fastening means.l Thls arrangement is illustrated in detail in Fig. 8, whereinit will be seen that the cross'- arm will be held against. the back-bone by the pressure of the wind against xhe covering,

and will be prevented from slippingl 0H the block and drop ing out' f place by t e bellyband when t e latter is under strain. Notches 9 lare provided in the ends of the back-bone and the cross-arm, to receive the marginal cord 10 b means of which the covering C is stretche upon and secured to the frame. At each corner, or angle, the coverin is provided with a cap 12 attached t0 the fa ric, but detached from the cord 10, so that the cord may readily be set in the notch or be unslip 'ed from it .when removing the cover,

and w en the cap 1s drawn overthe end of the stick it will prevent the cord from slipping vout of place.

slackness or looseness of the body C of the kite can be taken up at will on eithenside of the back-bone or longitudinal central member of the kite, for the purpose of varying the extent lor degree of the fbellying quality of .the kite-body on one side in excess of that on the opposite side of the longitudinal medianline. The eect ofproducing such variation is'to cause the kite to veer or change the direction 'of its Hight before the wind, to a greater or less angle or degree laterally towards that side of the point dead ahead which coincides with that sideof the kite which islreefed or taken in; and thus place the dirigibility of the kite with reference to diiierent points of the compass to one side or the other of the direction in which the kite would generally iiy, if not lso controlled. This operation will readily be understood from the diagram Fig. 6, in which the arrows indicate the direction of the wind. With the rseing-cords E loose, the kite A Will lydirectly before the Wind inthe ordinary-manner. But with the cords E-E on the right side of the kite tied, it will iiy towards the right and assume a position'at an angle to the direction of the wind as indicated atAZ. On the otherhand, if the reeng-cords El-E on the op osite side be tied to the back-bone so as to diaw the coverin the center, the kite wild fly to the left in the direction indicated at A1; the angular variation being reater or less in either case, according to tdie degree of slackness or tautness taut on that side ,of

,seance produced in the covering by means of the reefing-cords.. These cords are used to secure that end b assing one cord of the pair around the bac` one, and then drawing on both 'cords of the pair and tying them together.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isz- 1. A kite comprising a frame composed of a longitudinal back-bone and a cross-arm, each composed of a flat-bar. and a rib set sidewiseon the bar and fastened thereto by lashing-cords; a block on the front of the backbone adapted to form a support for the crossarm; a flexible coverin secured to the 'frame at the ends of the bac -bone and the crossarm, and a belly-band secured to the backbone on a line with the top face of the block supporting' the cross-arm, so as to lie under sai cross-arm.

2. A kite4 comprising a frame having a 1ongitudinal back-bonel and a flexible covering orming the body, vand reeing-cords onsai body situated on opposite sides of the backbone of the frame as a' means of varying the looseness or slack of the covering on one side of the line of said back-.bone over that on the opposite side.

3. Theheren described dirigible kite, comprising a frame ajexible covering therefor, and means on both sides of the longitudinal median line of the kite for reeng the covering.

EDWARD E. SBORN, l M. FRANL 

